THE CHARACTER AND CONDUCT OP JAMES I. J21 



desirous to have a Spanish alliance cemented with Spanish blood ; in 

 other words, a Spanish princess was to be the wife of his son and 

 successor — a Roman Catholic, therefore, a descendant of a family 

 and nation inveterately and incurably opposed to the religious and 

 political interests of England — seeking this union too in utter disre- 

 gard of that sagacious determination expressed in his own Basilicon, 

 of sedulously avoiding a popish match for his son. And while con- 

 cession after concession was made to bring about this marriage with 

 one who invoked saints and heard mass, they produced no other result 

 than that of Spain duping and deceiving our Solomon for seven long 

 years. 



The marriage of his daughter Elizabeth had created new continen- 

 tal relations, and, with them, events as disastrous as they were shame- 

 ful to James — events which might have been effectually averted if, 

 here again, he had not behaved like himself ; that is to say, with indo- 

 lence, irritability, fickleness, and incapacity. Nevertheless, upon his 

 foreign policy in this respect, Burnett is accused by Higgons for 

 displaying his overflowing rancour against this unworthy successor of 

 Elizabeth, because he said " It was expected that so near a conjunc- 

 tion might have prevailed on the king ; but he had an invincible 

 aversion to war, and was so possessed of the opinion of a divine right 

 in all kings, that he could not bear that even an elective and diminu- 

 tive king should be called in question by his subjects ; so he would 

 never acknowledge his son-in-law king, nor give him any assistance 

 for the support of his new dignity.*" 



During the visit which that unfortunate prince, Frederic V, Count 

 Palatine of the Rhine, and afterwards for a short time King of Bohe- 

 mia, paid to England, for the purpose of seeking in marriage Eliza- 

 beth, the lovelyf daughter of James, his manners were so popular 

 and gracious, and his character so amiable, that he gained the esteem 

 and respect of the English Court and of the country at large.J How 

 strongly the national mind ran in favour of the unfortunate Palatine 

 after his dethronement and the loss of the electorate, is shown in the 

 following remarkable fact : — On its being reported to the Commons 

 that one Floyd, a Roman Catholic, had expressed to his wife the 

 pleasure he felt at hearing of the fallen fortunes of the Palatine, the 

 House became so infuriated as actually to condemn him to be pilloried, 



• History of his own Time, vol. i, p. 22. 



t Her personal attractions are well delineated by Miss Aikin. See Me- 

 moirs of the Court of Kiny James /, vol. i, |). 427. 

 X See Winwood, vol. iii, p, 403. 



VOL. VIII., NO. XXIII. 17 



